Obituary : Louise A. Robinson
Louise A. Robinson of Vineyard Haven died peacefully at home surrounded by her children on February 19.
Louise attended the Tisbury School and was a member of the class of '51.
She married Albert S. Robinson of Chilmark. They made their first home in Chilmark at the crossroads where they had their five children. In 1964, they moved to their new home in Vineyard Haven.
Together they owned and operated their store, Robinsons Floor and Wall, on Beach Road until Al's death in 1973. Soon after, Louise began working at her cousin's business, Estrella & Sons Gas Co. She stayed with the company through the many changes of hands until her retirement in 2006 from Vineyard Propane. She loved her job, co-workers, visiting with customers, and all the years working beside her cousin and close friend Clifford Estrella.
Louise was an active member of the V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary Post 9261 and also the P.A. Club, which she truly enjoyed being a part of.
Louise loved playing cards with her close friends and cousins, Betty Ortiz, Louise Estrella, and Rose Souweine, among others. She loved dancing, spending time with her family, playing Scrabble with her girls, and her trips to Foxwoods. When her children were young it was not unusual for Louise to take other children in, many of whom kept in contact with her until her passing. As one wrote of Louise: "To the world, one person may not be a lot; but surely this one person was the world to many. A truly phenomenal woman."
She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. Her smile was contagious and to many she was lovingly known as "Weazie."
Louise is survived by her sons, Albert S. Robinson and his wife Beverly of Vineyard Haven, Clifton Robinson and his wife Jennifer of Oak Bluffs; her daughters, Debra Manley and John Smith, Rhonda Fauteux and Antone Bettencourt, and Lori Fisher and her husband Francis, all of Edgartown; her son-in-law, Thomas Manley of New Bedford; 13 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren. Louise is also survived by her brother, George Medeiros Sr.; sisters, Anna Duarte of Oak Bluffs and Doris Amaral of New Bedford; brothers-in-law, Dale Robinson of Chilmark and Norman Robinson of California; sister-in-law, Diane Leonard of Vineyard Haven, and many, many nieces and nephews.
Along with her beloved husband, Albert, she was also predeceased by her mother Isabelle Medeiros; her brother Manuel Medeiros; her sister Charlotte Tucker; sister-in-law Betty Quinn; daughter-in-law Teresa L. Robinson; three grandchildren, Christian E. Manley, Amanda Robinson, and Terrence Fisher; also her childhood close friend Connie Clinton.
Louise will be truly missed by her family, friends, and all the lives she touched.
Her funeral service was held on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs, and burial was in Abel's Hill Cemetery in Chilmark.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Tisbury Senior Center. Visit ccgfuneralhome.com for online guest book and information.
